Nico gets Barca pulses racing with stellar Spain display
He’s wanted at Camp Nou but he may be out of reach
Nico Williams turned on the style on Thursday night in Gelsenkirchen as Spain qualified for the last 16 of Euro 2024 by beating defending champions Italy with some ease.
The scoreline said it was 1-0, and just an own goal at that, but Spain were far superior and Nico and his good mate Lamine Yamal were a cut above the Azzurri.
Williams’ performance came amid continued speculation he’s wanted at Barcelona this summer to link up with Lamine and fellow Spain stars Pedri, Gavi, Fermin Lopez, Ferran Torres, Pau Cubarsi and Alejandro Balde.
The Athletic Club star has struck up a great relationship with Yamal who has already made it clear on several occasions at Euro 2024 that he loves playing with Williams and would be more than happy to do so at Barcelona.
Indeed the sight of Pedri, Yamal and Nico sitting on the bench together after being given a breather against Italy looked like a real nod to the future - for Spain surely but maybe for Barcelona too.
Pedri, 21 años.
— Sudanalytics (@sudanalytics_) June 20, 2024
Nico Williams, 21 años.
Lamine Yamal, 16 años.
Presente y futuro de España. pic.twitter.com/bZJmkJDWcD
The rumor mill has already gone wild with talk about Nico. But Deco is said to prefer Luis Diaz to Williams, while new manager Hansi Flick is said to prefer a move for Dani Olmo over the Athletic winger.
Yet what probably matters more is what Joan Laporta thinks. And if Williams can keep on producing the goods at Euro 2024 then you can expect the rumor mill to crank out plenty more headlines regarding Barcelona’s interest in the 21-year-old.
A host of other top clubs are also likely to be in the hunt, particularly as Williams’ release clause is widely believed to be around €55 million - certainly not an unreasonable sum for many of Europe’s elite.
Yet Barcelona’s problem is that they must still find over €100m or so before the end of June just to balance the books.
A “significant sale” would also then be needed to land Williams, according to The Athletic, and once again we’re in a summer where no-one wants to go and signing a midfielder may be more of a priority.
Should Barcelona go all out for Nico Williams this summer? Let us know your thoughts in the comments below!
Source: barcablaugranes.com
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